Romance, Brits, and Drosophila
by LightBender
Summary: Kiku had a plan: spend some time in a lab before medical school. Of course, he didn't expect to meet Arthur...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters. I own the extremely weird plot.

**AN: **Well, where to begin? This story is based HEAVILY on my experience working in a lab this summer and last summer. Most of the events will have happened, but a lot of it will be creative license. None of the events in this chapter actually happened, sadly. Still, it could have! Read and enjoy!

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><p>Kiku Honda arrived a half an hour early for his interview. This was his first big job on his own, even though it wasn't his first job. He'd just finished four years at University of Tokyo and though he planned to go to medical school, he'd decided to take off a few years to work, earn some money and begin to pay off his loans. So, he'd applied to a number of research labs in various places. This lab had really pursued him, plus one of his professors had recommended it, so Kiku had traveled to interview at it, even though it was in America. He had done a number of phone interviews with them, but had decided that he really had to see the place and decide if he wanted to work there.<p>

He nervously played with his laptop case that doubled as a briefcase. The lab area was mostly empty, except for the odd person rushing down the hall. He was standing by the elevators, feeling a little lost. He saw the same person half run down the hall three times in five minutes. The first time, the blond was carrying a box with a bunch of vials. He heard a door open and then close and the blond appeared again, running as he attempted to turn off the beeping timer he was holding. Then, the blond was running back down the hall carrying a tray with vials full of flies. A door opened and closed and then the blond didn't appear anymore. A young woman with thick brown hair pushed a cart while a highly excited Italian chatted with her. Kiku glanced around and then carefully walked into the hall, only to have someone collide with him. Kiku started to fall, but the other person caught him around the waist. He grabbed onto their shirt as he was pulled back to his feet.

When Kiku finally got his bearings and looked up into the face of his rescuer, he found he was staring into the most brilliant pair of green eyes he'd ever seen. He winced as his briefcase fell to the floor with a clatter, blushing and looking away. The other man still had his hands on him.

"You all right?" The man had a prominent English accent. It suited him, Kiku couldn't help but think. The blond hair, the gorgeous green eyes, and the accent all fit together perfectly on this man where they might not on someone else.

Kiku nodded quickly. "T-Thank you, I'm s-sorry-"

"It's my fault, don't worry about it," the man said, letting go of Kiku and bending down to pick up the briefcase. "I wasn't paying attention. You sure you're all right? You look nervous."

"I-I am fine, t-t-thank you." Kiku gnawed on his bottom lip, still blushing and looking at the floor.

"You're new. Are you lost? I can point you anywhere."

"I am..." Kiku glanced up at the man. "I am supposed to b-be interviewing with Dr. R-Roma this morning."

"Oh! You're the new hire."

Kiku returned the man's smile nervously. "Not a hire yet. I am just interviewing."

The man shook his head. He had a very nice smile Kiku noted. "You'll be hired. I've seen your file. I'll take you to Dr. Roma."

"T-Thank you," Kiku half mumbled, following the man down the hall.

"Here's his office." The man knocked on the open door. They were told to come in.

The man and Kiku entered a big office with nice, dark wood furniture. The office would have been nice if not for all the papers and files and books that were occupying every free space. Dr. Roma was in the center of the mess, currently reading something on his laptop. He glanced up when the pair entered.

"Arthur, have you got that paper for me? And how has your research been going? You know you're presenting today."

The man-Arthur, Kiku assumed-nodded. "The paper's almost done and I'm ready for the presentation. I'm here because your interviewee is here."

Dr. Roma looked to Kiku and suddenly smiled. "Kiku Honda! How nice of you to come. Take a seat."

Kiku felt like saying anything to the contrary would be a bad idea. He nodded once and sat down in the clear chair. Arthur put a hand on Kiku's shoulder. "I'll talk to you later. Bye, Dr. Roma."

Arthur left. Dr. Roma went through a stack of papers and then came up with what looked like Kiku's resume. He glanced over it and then extended a hand to Kiku. "Thank you so much for coming to meet in person, Kiku."

Kiku shook Dr. Roma's hand. "Thank you for the o-opportunity, Dr. Roma."

Dr. Roma waved his hand, saying it was no big deal. "Well, you have quite a compelling resume. Top of your class at University of Tokyo, worked in a lab setting before, wonderful recommendation letters...we've covered most of this in the phone interviews."

Kiku nodded, taking out a notebook to write notes as needed.

"So, let me tell you about our project and what you'd be working on..."

And for the next half an hour, Kiku listened and took notes. All the information that was being thrown at him was a little intimidating, but it meant that this scientist thought he could handle it. The project was very interesting, more so than he had known when first applying for the job. They then segued into Kiku's background, eventually finishing up.

"Anything else?"

Kiku shook his head. "Thank you very much for meeting with me."

Dr. Roma smiled warmly. "I'll get someone to give you a tour of the lab."

He got up and left the office, returning with the Italian Kiku had seen earlier.

"Kiku, this is Feliciano Vargas. You'll be working with him," Dr. Roma said. "He'll show you around the lab."

"Does that mean I have the job?" Kiku asked timidly.

Dr. Roma nodded, shaking Kiku's hand. "You have the job, Mr. Kiku Honda."

Feliciano grabbed onto Kiku's arm. "It'll be so much fun!"

Kiku swallows, a little overwhelmed. "Thank you so much, but I will need-"

"A few days to consider, of course," Dr. Roma says, shaking it off like it's nothing. "Take a few days, but please give me an answer by the end of the week. Feliciano, give Kiku a full tour."

Feliciano dragged Kiku out of the office, past the secretary who waved, and into the hall. "Okay! Now, I am Feliciano, but most people call me Feli, so you can do that same! I love pasta!"

Kiku blinked and then nodded once. He could deal with crazy.

Feliciano continued speaking, leading Kiku down the hall. "I'm working on my senior thesis from the university down the road. I've been here for like six months now and it's really great here. Everyone is really, really nice! Ve!" He opened a door. "This is what we call the big fly room. It's full of dissecting microscopes and flies and those are the two incubators, where you can put flies at certain temperatures and half of the microscopes are for our lab, the other half is for Elizaveta's lab and Roderich's, if he has the odd student working on flies, but normally he works with mice and DNA and that stuff."

"There are other labs on this floor?" Kiku asked quietly as Feliciano closed the door and led him down to another room.

"Si! Dr. Roma shares equipment and lab space with Elizaveta and Roderich, they're very nice. All of us are working in the same sort of thing, so we have lots of meetings together. This is the small fly room." This room was about quarter the size of the other room, with only two microscopes. The big room had eight squeezed in. "You'll probably spend most of your time working here. Come on!"

Feliciano towed him back down the hall but stopped when a different blond man walked out of the large fly room. "Vargas, I need some of your data. Do you have a moment?"

Feliciano's smile got bigger. "Si, Ludwig!"

He went after Ludwig, back into the big fly room, leaving Kiku standing alone in the hall. Kiku looked around, feeling very lost. He waited there, five minutes, ten minutes, and then Ludwig and Feliciano reappeared, but they walked down the hall without a single look at Kiku. Kiku didn't know if he should follow or not. He took a hesitant step forward, then heard someone behind him and immediately jumped out of the way. Arthur pulled the cart to a stop.

"Hey, what are you doing out here all alone?"

Kiku studied the contents of the cart, finally realizing that there were vials of in boxes wrapped in plastic piled high. "I-I was being shown around by F-Feliciano and then Ludwig-"

"Asked him a question and he disappeared?" Arthur's smile was kind and understanding. "It happens a lot."

Kiku shyly met Arthur's eyes from beneath his bangs. "Really?"

Arthur nodded. "Come on. I'll give you the tour if you help me put these trays away. Shouldn't take too long."

"Okay."

Kiku followed Arthur down the hall and into a room with a thick door. The sign outside read 'Eighteen Degree'.

"This is the eighteen degree room, but I think you already read that. It's where we store the food, which is in these vials," Arthur said, indicating the boxes in bags on the cart. They moved from the front room into the back room with another thick door. The front had a sink, some more microscopes, and some tanks with eggs in them. The back room had shelves full of trays with flies and trays with food and some more tanks. "The frogs also get kept here. The mice are kept on a different floor because there's radiation with those experiments. Now, we're going to stack the trays here." He indicated two shelves.

Kiku put his briefcase down and started stacking the trays. He had to stand on his tip toes to reach the top shelf. Arthur hummed quietly, not overwhelming Kiku with constant information. It was nice, but Kiku sort of missed listening to him talk.

Kiku was struggling to put the last box on top of the tall shelf. He was on the shorter side which helped him hide, but wasn't a good thing right now. Arthur stood behind him and leaned up to steady the tray, hand brushing against Kiku's. Kiku blushed faintly, dropping his hand immediately after the tray was on the shelf. He went to pick up his briefcase, looking at the ground.

"Thanks. That would have taken me forever alone. Now, let's just put this cart away and I can give you the real tour."

Kiku took a steadying breath as he followed Arthur back down the hall and into a room full of freezers. "Do you not have a presentation tomorrow?"

Arthur laughed, turning to look at Kiku after putting the cart in a corner. "You were listening. I can't really work right now. Too many people interrupt. I like to be useful, so I'll show you around."

"Agrit-" Kiku broke off, forcing himself to switch back into English. "Thank you."

"I like how Japanese sounds," Arthur said as they walked once again down the hall. Kiku was beginning to figure out how everyone stayed in shape here.

"Do you speak it?"

Arthur shook his head. "No. Haven't the time to learn it. I've heard it though."

They entered a large spacious room full of lab benches. There were various machines scattered around, people were everywhere, talking and working. There is buzzing and rattling and beeping, chatter and laughter. A radio was playing somewhere. Kiku swallowed, eyes darting nervously around.

Arthur put a hand on Kiku's arm. "Relax. I know it's a bit overwhelming, but you'll be fine."

Kiku couldn't help but trust Arthur. He nodded.

Arthur spent the next hour showing him around the lab. He was introduced to a lot of people. Most of them had very ethnic names, making it a little harder for Kiku to remember everyone's name. He tried to all the same. He muffled a yawn, jet lag finally catching up to him. He had hoped Arthur hadn't seen and thought he was bored.

"What time did your plane get in?" Arthur asked, checking the autoclave machine.

So he hadn't missed that, but he was being understanding. "Around one in the morning here."

"You didn't sleep on the plane," Arthur said with certainty.

Kiku shook his head slowly. "No. How did you...?"

"You just seem like the type who'd be working the whole time. You fancy a coffee? I'm due for a break."

Kiku looked up at Arthur, a little confused. "W-what?"

"Come on. It'll be fun."

And before Kiku knew it, he was out of the building and walking out the courtyard to the city. It was one of the rare sunny days and everything looked beautiful. Arthur pointed out landmarks as they walked to the coffee shop. He held the door for Kiku and ushered him in. A real gentleman.

They ordered and then sat down at a table in the window. Kiku immediately took a sip of his coffee. He needed the caffeine. Arthur watched him, stirring his tea.

"No sugar?"

"No. I do not like the taste, but I...need the caffeine," Kiku said lamely.

"You could try getting more sleep," Arthur suggested.

Kiku held a hand in front of his mouth, laughing softly. "I have heard that before. And tried."

Arthur laughed too. "Fair point."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments. Then Arthur decided to play twenty questions.

"So, why do you want to leave Japan?"

"I do not want to necessarily, but there are more jobs here. Dr. Roma has some very interesting research. You are not from around here, are you?"

"I've been in the States for about a year. My cousin lives here, actually works on one of the other floors, so when he heard about the opening, he called me. It works," Arthur said, sipping his tea. "Do you have any family here?"

"No. I am doing this for myself, so they will support me no matter what."

"You think you're going to come work here?" Arthur asked, looking a little hopeful.

Kiku glanced out the window, then back at the green eyes. "Maybe."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters!

**AN: **Wow...the summer's flying by. I meant to finish this story before I started school, but I'm starting to think that that might not happen. Well, here's the second chapter!

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><p><em>Kiku is sitting in the front row of his organic chemistry class, dutifully taking notes. His professor paces in front of the lecture hall. He stops in the middle of his lecture, looking at the back of the room. Someone is apparently asking a question, but Kiku can't hear it. Neither can the professor.<em>

"_Come down here and ask your question," the professor orders gruffly. _

_Kiku frowns, confused. This never happens. They don't have enough time to cover the material, yet alone stop for one question. But, his professor waits patiently up front for the student to walk down the stairs. Kiku corrects something in his notes, then looks up in shock when the student speaks. _

"_So, what you're saying is that these bonds can't be broken by any natural means?"_

_There's the British accent, the green eyes that are staring right at him. Kiku's heart skips a beat as Arthur smiles at him. _

Kiku woke up disoriented and confused. He wasn't in his bedroom, but stretched out on an unfamiliar couch. He sat up, looking around. After a bit, he remembered that this was his new apartment, that he was in the United States, and that he started work later that morning. He picked his cell phone up off the ground and checked the time. Fourteen minutes after six. He had some time to unpack before work started. He'd moved in two days ago and he still wasn't fully situated. He kept reorganizing things, moving things around, and it was taking forever.

He wasn't sure exactly why he'd agreed to work in Dr. Roma's lab. Yes, it was a great opportunity. Yes, the pay was decent. Yes, the research was interesting. But, it was so far away from his home. Wondering about the what ifs was pointless, Kiku berated himself as he made coffee. This was to be his life for a while, so he'd better just get used to it. And maybe like it a little.

He showed up to work at precisely eight thirty and was very surprised to see how empty and quiet the lab was. He poked his head into the lab bench area, but it was mostly empty. There was one young woman working to the far right, in the part of the lab shared by Elizaveta and Roderich. He didn't remember her name, but did vaguely remember meeting her. He stepped out and went down the hall to Dr. Roma's office.

Dr. Roma's secretary, looked up when Kiku entered. "Hello."

"Hello," Kiku echoed. "I am Honda Kiku, I mean Kiku Honda. I am to be working in the lab, but I do not know..."

"Oh! Hello! I am Matthew Williams, Dr. Roma's, Dr. Hedervary's, and Dr. Edelstein's secretary. Dr. Roma told me about you. I have some paperwork that you need to fill out."

Matthew rummaged in a drawer before pulling out a thick envelope with Kiku's name on it in bold letters. He got to his feet and left the office. Kiku followed and was directed into a little break room with a big table and a few chairs scattered about, a huge white board that covered most of one wall with a detailed flow chart about genes on it. Matthew placed the envelope on the table.

"Fill these out, then bring them back to me. It'll take a day to get your ID badge, but you can probably start working afterwards."

"Thank you," Kiku said politely as he sat down.

Matthew smiled as he pushed his glasses further up his nose. "You are welcome. If you need any help, I'm right across the hall."

It took Kiku the better part of two hours to fill out the extensive paperwork. A few people came in to put something into the mini fridge in the corner. Kiku didn't raise his head and was ignored for the most part. He was all right with that. After he'd handed the envelope back to Matthew, he was referred to Dr. Roma, who looked like he was on his fifth cup of coffee of the day and it wasn't even eleven yet. Kiku was bombarded with more information and then Dr. Roma led him into the lab area. He then introduced Kiku to a young man with white hair and red eyes.

"Gilbert, this is Kiku. He'll be working with you on the project. Explain how the lab works, what the project is. How is the project going?"

Gilbert smiled broadly. "It's going wonderfully. Everything has been completely normal."

"Well, that's not what we want," Dr. Roma said cheerfully. "Perhaps this week will give better results."

Dr. Roma's phone rang and he picked up, walking away dreamily. Kiku glanced up at Gilbert, then at the ground.

"Hi! As you probably guessed, I'm Gilbert. I've been working on this project for two months now by myself, so it'll be great to have someone else to help."

Kiku shook Gilbert's hand. "Nice to meet you, Gilbert."

"Nice to meet you, Kiku." Gilbert smiled. "Now, allow me to welcome you to the lab. This is a place of wonder and opportunity and utter chaos. Nothing will be where it's supposed to be! You will sit down to flip some flies and find out that all the vials are gone and the flies have all died! You will live in fear of Yao's flies! The word 'normal' is bad!"

Kiku stared at Gilbert, unsure if he should laugh or not. He's saved from making a decision by Arthur's appearance. Arthur hit Gilbert on the head with a rolled up paper. "Stop acting like git and explain what you're doing here."

"But Arthur! That's no fun!" Gilbert whined, rubbing his head where Arthur had hit him. "I'm telling him about the lab!"

"You need a lab tech, so stop blowing this!" Arthur sighed, then turned to Kiku with a smile. "Good morning, Kiku. Don't mind Gilbert. He doesn't like flies."

"I like flies! I just dislike the ones we have to take care of," Gilbert pouted.

Kiku covered his mouth as he laughed. "Good morning, Arthur."

"Don't you have a paper to be writing?" Gilbert asked, rounding on Arthur. "Go shoo! I'm taking care of the new lab tech."

"Taking care of? I think you mean being a nutter."

"Careful! Your British-ness is showing."

Arthur loftily hit Gilbert again with the rolled up papers. "At least I have some semblance of manners, unlike you, you prat. Kiku, I shall see you later. Any problems with the dog, come and find me."

"Thank you," KIku said as Gilbert called after Arthur's retreating back, "Lunch at twelve thirty! Feli's staining."

Arthur raised a hand in acknowledgement before turning. Gilbert turned back to Kiku. "Well, let's get started."

Gilbert showed Kiku to his desk, which was close to his. He then proceeded to hand Kiku a ton of different items, not limited to forceps, ten millimeter tubes, a thermometer, and a wrench. Kiku blinked at the wrench. "What do I use this for?"

"Surprisingly, you will find a use for that wrench," Gilbert said wisely. "You probably don't need it at your bench and can put it in the fly kitchen along with all the other random things we find."

"Fly kitchen?"

"It's where we make fly food. We don't make food until tomorrow, so you'll see it in great detail tomorrow."

Gilbert then showed Kiku how to log onto the computer and opened up a bunch of power points. "Go through these and then we'll discuss them later, okay? This is what our project is."

Kiku nodded as he took out a notebook and pen.

"Welcome to the lab."

Kiku had been going through the presentations at a good clip when there was suddenly a loud beeping noise. He looked up and stared at the flashing lights for a minute before realizing that it was the fire alarm. He slowly got to his feet, rather confused.

Gilbert appeared. "Hey, come on. We've got to get out of the building. Once again, only half of the building is on fire."

Kiku followed Gilbert and some other people out of the lab and down the stairs. They turned into a different part of the building and the fire alarm wasn't going on anymore. Gilbert sat down in one of the arm chairs in the atrium. Kiku followed suit.

"Now, you're probably wondering why we haven't left the building. It's not actually on fire. Someone in one of the other labs probably left a bunsen burner on. They do that all the time. It's happened what, three times in the past week?"

There was a murmur of consensus from Matthew. He appeared to be looking around. "Where is everyone?"

"Well, Feli's in the middle of a stain, so he refused to leave. Arthur's in the microscope room and probably didn't notice the lights or the sound. Frances and Antonio both decided to pretend they hadn't noticed. They're in the small fly room, so they technically wouldn't have noticed unless they went into the hall."

"They still should come out...what if it was a serious fire?"

"Then we'd all die! Lighten up, Mattie!" Gilbert said cheerfully, grinning at Matthew.

Matthew shook his head, smiling all the same with a faint blush. "The flies need you all to be alive."

"And you don't need us to be alive? You wound me so!"

"Stop that!" Matthew laughed.

"Got you to smile, didn't it?" Gilbert got back into his chair. "You've been looking so grim lately."

They were interrupted by the blond Kiku had seen the first day. "Matthew, I have some things that need to be ordered."

"All right, Vash. When we're allowed back upstairs...well, I think we can go up now." Matthew got to his feet and led the way.

Kiku spent another hour going through the presentations. Then, Gilbert returned with a couple of other people, Arthur, Feliciano, and Vash notably. "Lunch?"

Kiku got to his feet with a smile. "Just finished."

"Perfect timing!" Gilbert grinned. "You can help me flip in the afternoon."

Lunch was a raucous affair. Arthur and a man named Frances got into an extremely heated argument that Vash ended up finishing.

"You two shut up or I'll shut you up!"

Gilbert and Antonio, a carefree young man with a Spanish accent, then took center stage, playfully recounting a story from the previous night at a bar. Arthur joined in when they started talking about some blushing med student who hadn't been able to manage a single word, so 'dazzled' by Gilbert's 'awesomeness.' Apparently, a fair amount of people from the lab hung out after work and went drinking together.

After lunch, Gilbert was true to his word. He set Kiku up in the small fly room with a few trays of vials and three trays of Yao's flies, helpfully labeled with 'YAO' and a number.

Gilbert plucked out a single vial from Yao's flies. The food was turning black, flies were sticking to the walls. "These flies are notorious for wanting to die. You have to be very careful when you flip them. When I say flip, I mean put them into a new vial. It's called flipping because you flip the old vial upside down into a new vial."

Gilbert demonstrated on a few vials, then left Kiku to his own devices. Kiku understood what Gilbert had meant about living in fear of Yao's flies. These flies seemed not to want to get out of the vial. In many vials, a lot of the flies were dead. He came across two vials where there were no flies at all. Kiku followed Gilbert's instructions and put those vials aside. They'd be dealt with and kept alive.

Gilbert came by later to take away the trays Kiku had flipped and put down more. It was sort of relaxing after a while, flipping. Kiku was working without really paying attention: take out a vial, get a new vial, add yeast, flip, put the label on the new vial, throw out old vial, put new vial in tray. Repeat. He didn't notice time passing. The radio played NPR softly in the background.

"Kiku? You're still here?"

Kiku jumped turning around. Arthur was in the doorway, looking curiously at Kiku.

"H-Hai. Should I not be?"

"It's half past five."

"Really?"

"Gilbert's in a meeting and probably won't be out for another hour. You can go."

"I need to finish this tray, then I can. Thank you, Arthur."

He didn't expect to hear the door close and for Arthur to grab one of the chairs, bringing it over. "I'll help you."

"T-thank you." Kiku lowered his eyes with a small smile.

They finished the rest of the tray in twenty minutes. Nothing exciting happened, except for Arthur's snide comments to the people on the radio ['he's a real twit, you can tell' or 'America's really going down the drain']. There was the last vial which they both reached for at the same time, hands brushing against each other. Their eyes met for a second, before Kiku blushed and shyly pulled his hand back, looking down at the table. Arthur flipped the last vial, then together they walked down the hall to put the trays away. Arthur was whistling cheerfully.

"Sign the paper while I put the trays away, won't you? Just so we know who flipped what when."

Kiku carefully initialed the spot for the trays he'd done in the proper date column. He didn't notice Arthur standing right behind him watching and so turned quickly, right so he and Arthur were face to face. Well, almost face to face. Arthur had a few inches on Kiku.

Kiku blushed, attempting to look anywhere but at Arthur's eyes. Of course, where he ended up looking was Arthur's eyes. They were a remarkably brilliant green color. Kiku blushed and tried to say something, but he couldn't really form any words.

"Rather cramped in here, isn't it?" Arthur was smiling. He put his hands on Kiku's shoulders, carefully steering him out of the eighteen degree room. He walked Kiku back to his bench to get his stuff, then took the elevator with him, talking brightly about his research and how it wasn't going the way he'd hoped. That struck Kiku as odd: if it wasn't right, shouldn't Arthur be more upset about it? Arthur was in a very good mood regardless. He waved goodbye with a broad smile.

Later that night, after Kiku had finally finished unpacking and was sitting in bed, he tried to reason out why Arthur had been so happy. He couldn't figure out a reason, just that Arthur's mood had suddenly lightened after they'd finished flipping that last tray.

Kiku lay back, looking at the ceiling. He inexplicably smiled. He couldn't wait for work tomorrow.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> Any guesses as to why Arthur was so happy? ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters.

**AN: **Thanks for all the sweet reviews! They really brightened up my day and helped convince me to finish this chapter! I'll address individual reviews at the end of this chapter.

What I didn't say last chapter…a few of those things happened to me. I was left to look through powerpoints in a room by myself when the fire alarm went off. And, as Gilbert stated, only half of the building was 'on fire.' For whatever, the fire alarms would go off in the old half of the building, but not the new half. This happened periodically during the summer. And I was also left alone in rooms with flies similar to 'Yao's flies' with the order to flip them.

All right, enjoy the chapter!

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><p>The next day dawned bright and early. Kiku walked to work amid beautiful sunshine. He and Gilbert finally had an in-depth discussion about the project that took up most of the morning. Gilbert showed him how to access the database and make edits. The lab used PCs while Kiku was more used to Macs, so Gilbert had to teach him a few other things about the computers.<p>

After that, they went into the large fly room to check on Gilbert's trays of flies that weren't healthy. There either weren't enough of them to flip or there were none at all. Gilbert fondly called them his 'sick trays.' Kiku helped Gilbert take care of them.

After a quiet lunch (only Feliciano and Vash), it was time to make fly food. Gilbert handed Kiku over to Antonio, saying it was Antonio's turn to make fly food. Antonio was very cheerful and energetic. He was practically bouncing around the fly kitchen. It was a small, cramped room, with a big sink, two tables, countless boxes, and what could only be described as huge cauldron. That cauldron was hooked up to a heating apparatus and was where the food would actually be made.

Making food was a time consuming and messy process. Kiku had managed to spill some of the food on his shirt. He was glad he'd taken a leaf out of Arthur's book and worn casual clothes, just a t-shirt and jeans. Most everyone at work dressed that casually and Kiku was beginning to understand why. It wasn't a very neat place.

They filled eighteen trays of vials and ten trays of bottles. Then, Antonio's timer rang, which he kept in his pocket, and he jumped. "Dios mio! My gel is done...I have to go, but I will be back."

"No. If you are busy, I can clean up. That is all that is left, right?"

Antonio nodded gratefully. "Thank you! I really need to check on it."

He dashed out of the room, leaving Kiku alone to clean up. He began working, doing an extremely thorough job. However, he wasn't very skilled with the sink and when he turned it on, the hose like nozzle went off and soaked Kiku. So, today wasn't one of his better days.

Antonio dashed in periodically to help Kiku clean the more difficult pieces of equipment, but he was clearly distracted. Apparently the gel he'd run was giving him very odd results, which could be a good thing or a bad thing. Kiku was just cleaning up the food that had spilled on the floor when Arthur poked his head in. He looked down curiously at Kiku.

"What are you doing?"

"Cleaning. What are you doing?"

"Antonio told me to check on you. You know, I've never seen this room this clean." Arthur surveyed the room, taking in the spotless cauldron and sink, the neatly stacked trays covered in cheesecloth cooling and hardening in the corner, the organized bags of sugar and cornmeal. "I don't think you had to be this in depth."

"It will be easier the next time we make food." Kiku took Arthur's proffered hand and got to his feet. "Thank you."

Arthur seemed then to take in Kiku's appearance. His hair was standing up in odd directions. His black shirt was plastered to his body. The water had at least gotten rid of the agar stains from the food. Kiku had to give Arthur credit. He didn't laugh. "I see you and the sink don't get along."

Kiku cast the sink a disparaging look. "You could say that."

Arthur soberly handed Kiku some paper towels and Kiku began wiping at his shirt, attempting to dry it a little. Kiku asked, "Should you not be working?"

"Well, Vash is on the nice microscope that I like and Feli and Ludwig are in the other microscope room. These are the florescent ones I'm talking about. So, I'm stuck at my desk. Antonio saw me sitting there and told me to make sure you hadn't drowned."

"Well, thank you."

Arthur smiled kindly as Kiku looked up, flattening Kiku's hair with careful fingers. "Anytime."

Kiku decided to ignore how his heart skipped a beat.

The rest of the week passed by in a blur. Kiku had so much to learn about work. He rarely saw Arthur. He hid his disappointment. When he saw Arthur, he could see the shadows under his eyes and the omnipresent cup of coffee.

After another week without Arthur, Gilbert decided that Kiku understood standard lab procedure. After a lengthy meeting with Dr. Roma on Monday, Kiku was cleared to begin working without being constantly watched.

Kiku was starting to get comfortable at the lab. He knew what to expect, what he should do. Work was completely disorganized in the lab and it was driving Kiku a little insane. He made a mental note to organize things soon.

It was a Friday, early afternoon. Kiku was in the autoclave room, pulling on the thick, bright orange protective gloves as the timer rang. Kiku was used to pulling things out of the autoclave machine now. It exposed the objects they put into it to extreme heat to sterilize them. Kiku opened the machine, letting the steam billow out. He pulled the first tray of flasks out and put it on the counter. He reached in for the next tray, which was heavier than he realized. He tried to balance it, but the boxes of pipet tips fell as Kiku burned his arm, hand convulsively releasing the tray.

He didn't scream. He gasped, the pain taking a second to sink in. The tray clattering off the autoclave door and to the ground was louder.

Arthur and Gilbert rushed in. Obviously, they'd been talking while they were walking down the hall and heard the tray falling. Kiku looked up at them, eyes wide.

"Is everything—" Gilbert had begun to ask but then had smelled burnt fabric.

Arthur rushed forward, placing his papers on the counter. "Kiku?"

Kiku blinked then shook his head. "I just…was burned. I am fine."

Arthur ignored him, gently turning Kiku so he could look at his upper arm. Gilbert had closed the autoclave machine and stood over Arthur's shoulder.

"It does not hurt," Kiku lied.

Arthur's eyes flickered up to Kiku's as he gingerly pulled back what was left of his sleeve. "This looks like it's third degree."

"Get out of here," Gilbert said firmly. "Go to the hospital and have them patch you up."

"I am fine—" Kiku began to say, but Arthur cut him off. "I'll take him."

Gilbert nodded in agreement and took the gloves from Kiku. Arthur grabbed a towel off the counter and handed it to Kiku, silently instructing him to wrap it around the burn. Kiku obeyed, following Arthur as he went back to his desk to grab his ID, then Kiku's at his desk. They walked to the elevators and got into one in silence. Luckily, the hospital wasn't too far away.

Once the doors closed, Arthur turned to Kiku. "You look very pale."

"Lighting," Kiku replied automatically.

Arthur gave him a curious look. "Not what I meant. Are you feeling all right?"

Kiku shrugged, adjusting his hold on the towel. To tell the truth, his arm was throbbing slightly, but not precisely hurting.

"I'll take that as a, I'm going to say I'm fine but I'm really not." Arthur flashed Kiku a charming smile.

When they got out of the elevator, Kiku stumbled. Arthur wrapped an arm around his shoulders to steady him. "Easy now."

Kiku lowered his eyes, cheeks flushing a pale pink. Arthur kept his arm there, gently steering him and supporting him.

They went rather casually into the emergency room, had a quick chat with the nurse there. Arthur flashed their badges and they got put into the room. They weren't seen immediately. Kiku was sitting on the examination table, Arthur in one of the chairs looking at the posters on the wall. After a half hour, Kiku found his voice.

"You can go. I know you are working and—"

"I'm not going to leave you." Arthur's eyes immediately went to Kiku's face, full of the same concern from earlier when he and Gilbert walked in.

Kiku bit his lip. "Really, I am fine."

Arthur got to his feet, walking over to Kiku. "Keep saying that, but you don't look fine."

Kiku smiled slightly, but before he could say anything, the door opened. The doctor entered and then there was no more time for the two of them to talk.

Kiku wasn't quite sure had they'd gone from the hospital to Arthur's car. He was wearing Arthur's jacket, sitting in the passenger seat, giving Arthur directions. Arthur frowned slightly at the directions, but didn't say anything. Kiku relaxed, listening to the Beethoven that was playing softly in the background.

"Thank you," Kiku said for about the hundredth time.

"You've said that already, love. It's no trouble," Arthur said. He looked over at Kiku while they waited at a red light. "How are you feeling?"

"You have asked that before," Kiku replied, praying it was dark enough outside that Arthur couldn't see him blushing. Why did that little word bother him so much? "I am feeling fine. This was a big deal over nothing."

"You were burned."

"And I will live." Kiku nervously bit his lip. Why did Arthur sound so angry about that?

Arthur sighed. He reached over to brush Kiku's hair out of his eyes. Their eyes connected for an instant that was broken by the car behind them honking loudly. Arthur cleared his throat while Kiku blushed.

The rest of the drive was in silence. Arthur parked the car and got out, looking at the street critically. Kiku got out a little clumsily, his right arm wrapped up and a little cumbersome. Arthur hurried over to help him, hands lingering very slightly as he made sure Kiku was steady.

He followed Kiku, still silent, but taking in everything. Once the door was closed, Arthur spoke, watching Kiku do up the locks.

"Kiku, this isn't a safe neighborhood."

"It is fine," Kiku said, turning around to face Arthur. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No. You are going to sit down and I'll take care of you. This isn't a good part of town."

Kiku slipped around Arthur, going into the kitchen. "It is perfectly fine. It is like at home."

"This is Tokyo. It's more deceptive than that!" Arthur took the kettle from Kiku. "Sit down please."

Kiku shook his head, taking the kettle back and going to fill it with water, putting it on the stove. "This is just a city. Cities can be unsafe, but if you know what to do and what not to do—"

Arthur firmly grabbed Kiku by the shoulders and steered him into a chair. He knelt down so they were at eye level. "Please, just sit. I can manage."

Out of surprise more than anything else, Kiku nodded.

"Thank you. Now, most cities are unsafe, and many parts of this city are safe, but this is not one of those parts. Kiku, there was a drug deal happening right in front of your building!"

"Well, if I need drugs…"

Arthur stared at Kiku before laughing softly. "You had better be joking."

Kiku shrugged, smiling slightly. "Depends on the flies."

"That dog is rubbing off on you!" Arthur shook his head, laughing. "Look, just call me if you need to get away from the flies. We'll go out for a drink."

Arthur hummed as he got out cups and a teapot, searching for a bit before spotting the tea bags. Kiku watched Arthur, a little hypnotized. It really didn't seem real that Arthur was here, in his kitchen, making tea. He managed to snap himself out of it by the time Arthur started pouring the tea.

Kiku picked up his cup, sipping at the hot liquid. For a British man, Arthur could make very good Asian tea. Arthur pulled out a small pill bottle and put it on the table. Kiku squinted at the label, then shook his head. Arthur gave him a pointed look.

"I do not need—"

"You'll be hurting soon. Please?"

Resignedly, Kiku picked up the bottle. "When did you even get it filled?"

"While you were filling out the paperwork. You take two."

Kiku obediently took the pills, washing them down with tea. He made a face. "I do not like medications."

"But now you won't hurt, which you wouldn't like much," Arthur said cheerfully.

Kiku rolled his eyes. "Now that you have confirmed I have taken the pills, are you going to rush out?"

"No. I'll stay for a little bit longer." Arthur gave him a charming smile.

True to his word, Arthur stayed for another hour, talking with Kiku about the most random assortment of things. When he saw Kiku attempt to hide a yawn, he excused himself and cleaned up before Kiku had said a word.

"Get some rest, all right?"

Kiku walked with Arthur to the door. "Hai."

Arthur smiled again. He ruffled Kiku's hair. "Make sure to lock up, love."

Kiku was left staring at the door, rather dumbfounded. He slowly locked the door again. It was then that he realized he was still wearing Arthur's jacket. He'd forgotten to give it back.

As he walked back to his room, he gathered that it smelled just like Arthur. He shook his head at his foolishness, placing the jacket carefully in his closet. He couldn't resist leaning in to smell it once more.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> Okay, events that actually happened: I did have a friend who burned herself on the autoclave machine. Not as badly as Kiku though. And I have had to clean the fly kitchen by myself…and I did get soaked by the sink. That thing is super temperamental!

**Shout** **outs**: **CloudsofGlory** [Thank you so much! I'm glad they seem in character. It's a little hard to keep them semi in character and get the plot development. Arthur is such a snarky gentleman!], **MoonlightNinja55 **[Thank you! Pacing this thing has been a nightmare -_-'], **kaz320** [Thank you so much! You write the sweetest things and the longest! A note about the details: I honestly just have been trying not to give away too many trade secrets! So, I'm glad it works all the same! XD I might now consider writing a chapter or two from Arthur's point of view, because now that you mention it, that would be really interesting. I haven't really thought about what he's thinking the whole time. And, as to Arthur dropping in twice…it wasn't coincidental. PS: your English is excellent. Thanks!], and **MangaManiac6** [Thanks! I hope this lived up to your expectations!].

Thank you all so much! I'll hopefully update soon, but no promises. I just started college and I've been wicked busy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters.

**AN: **Thanks for all the really nice reviews! You guys keep making me smile.

Now, instead of studying for my upcoming prelim [test], which I really, really should be doing, I decided to write you guys a chapter. So, enjoy!

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><p>On Saturday, Kiku woke up extremely groggy. The events of the past day took a while to sink in. Once they did, Kiku groaned, covering his face with his hands. That had been so stupid of him. How could he have let himself get burned? How could he have let it stop him from working?<p>

Why had he let Arthur drive him home? Why had he let Arthur stay?

Kiku wearily got up and stiffly got ready for the day, wincing every time he moved his arm the wrong way. He finally made it to the kitchen and made tea, realizing that he'd have to go shopping. He stared at the pill bottle helpfully placed on the table. He picked up the note there and read:

_I know you don't like medication, but take it. For my peace of mind?_

_Feel well soon,_

_Arthur_

Kiku read the sticky note a few times then shook his head. He carefully stuck the note up on the refrigerator and knocked two of the pills into his hand. He swallowed them quickly then went to get organized for the grocery store.

Kiku walked through the store, a little confused. It was very big, very bright, and there were people everywhere even though it was early on a rainy Saturday morning. He finally got a cart and was wandering through produce when someone spoke in his ear.

"What are you doing up and about?"

Kiku turned to look at Arthur. "I could say you were stalking me."

"Well, you could say that, but," Arthur grinned, "you wouldn't. How are you?"

"Fine. And yourself?"

"Doing better now."

Before Kiku could ask what that meant, someone clapped an arm around his shoulders. "Hey Kiku! How are you?"

"G-Gilbert. Hello. I am fine—"

Arthur gently tugged Kiku back, away from Gilbert and inadvertently closer to himself. "Don't crowd him, you twat."

"I'm not crowding him! Stupid limey…" Gilbert glared at Arthur.

"Bloody—"

"Stop?" Kiku suggested quietly. "Please?"

To his surprise, Arthur sighed and chuckled. "We'll finish this later, Gil."

Gilbert nodded with a smile. "So, how are you doing, Kiku?"

"I am fine and yourself?"

"Pretty awesome!" Gilbert grinned.

Just then, Ludwig wandered up, seemingly randomly. "Gilbert, we need to stay on task. Oh, hello Kiku."

"Hello Ludwig," Kiku replied.

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "You can manage the shopping by yourself, can't you? Come on West! It's not that hard!"

"Do you two live together?" Kiku asked, confused.

Gilbert slung an arm around Ludwig's neck. "Yep! We're brothers! Except I got all the awesome genes in the family and West got none of them."

Ludwig sighed. "Yes. Now, Gilbert, please. I do not want to be here all day."

"Fine!" Gilbert pouted. "I have to go be responsible now, which is so not awesome. Bye, Kiku! Feel better. Later, limey."

And then Gilbert and Ludwig were gone. Arthur looked to Kiku. "Where were we before that wanker interrupted?"

"Do not call him that," Kiku said softly. "It is quite rude."

"I know, love. That's why I was saying it. But, I'll stop for you."

Kiku blushed faintly, glancing at the floor. Did all British people speak like this? Or was it just an Arthur thing? He refused to entertain the notion that Arthur only spoke like this to him. That thought was absurd.

"Kiku?"

Kiku jumped. "I am sorry. What?"

"Let's meet up here in an hour, all right?"

Kiku agreed before he realized what he'd agreed too. Nevertheless, he ended up waiting in front of the store an hour later as Arthur pulled his car forward.

Arthur spoke as they drove, chatting about random things. Kiku felt very relaxed in Arthur's presence.

Because Arthur drove him home, Kiku invited him in for tea, never expecting Arthur to say yes. He had hoped Arthur would say yes, but he'd never expected it. Arthur always seemed so busy.

It was once they were sitting at the table, Kiku pouring tea that he remembered.

"Arthur, you forgot your jacket last night. I'll get it for you."

He missed the slightly disappointed look on Arthur's face as he went to the closet to get the soft leather jacket. He handed it to Arthur, who smiled.

"Thank you. And thank you for everything you did yesterday. You did not need to—"

"Anytime, love. Now, sit down," Arthur said playfully. "It's annoying craning my neck to look at you—"

"Just because you are taller than me does not mean you need to say so," Kiku replied with a slight pout. One of the odd topics that had come up the previous day was height, or rather how Kiku was one of the shortest people in the lab.

Arthur reached out and tapped Kiku's nose. "Don't pout."

Their eyes met for one, two, three heartbeats, then Kiku glanced away. Blushing, he changed the subject. They talked for nearly an hour when Arthur's phone rang. Annoyed, Arthur looked at it then groaned.

"I'm sorry, Kiku, but I have to take this."

He flipped open his phone. "Alfred, you twit, what is it this time? I'm with…No. Don't react like that. Matthew can take care of… Bloody hell, listen to me! …it's very simple. You ask…Fine. Fine. I'll be there."

Arthur hung up and gave Kiku a sad smile. "I'm sorry, but my cousin is being a twit. I have to go solve matters before he makes them worse. But, we should do this again."

Kiku walked with Arthur to the front door. "Thank you for driving me home."

"Thank you for the tea and for inviting me in." Arthur smiled at Kiku, pausing at the door. He appeared to be studying Kiku, before leaning in close, "I'd rather stay here with you."

"I…" Kiku didn't quite know how to answer. On the one hand, he really didn't want Arthur to leave. On the other hand, Arthur was flustering him. Arthur seemed to read what was going on in Kiku's head. He ruffled Kiku's hair.

"See you on Monday, love."

Weak kneed, Kiku walked back into the kitchen, sitting down heavily at the table. He noticed Arthur's jacket. He'd forgotten it again. Kiku grabbed it and hugged it to his chest, breathing in the reassuring scent of the jacket. He'd have to remember to bring the jacket into work on Monday. That reminded him of Arthur's use of the word 'love' again. That had to be a British thing. He knew it was, but he'd never heard Arthur use it with anyone else.

The rest of Saturday dragged on. Kiku cleaned and tried to keep busy so he'd stop obsessing. He fell asleep on the couch. He woke up in the middle of the night, hearing a man speaking with a British accent. After freaking out for a few seconds, he realized he'd left the radio on and the British man was a correspondent. He got up wearily, turned off the radio and finally went to bed.

He spent Sunday researching information so he could understand the project. He e-mailed his family, reorganized everything in his apartment, really anything to keep himself busy.

Finally, it was Monday morning and it was time for work. Kiku hugged Arthur's jacket to his chest. Arthur wasn't at his desk when Kiku got there. He walked over to his chair and put the jacket down.

"Hello Kiku," Arthur said, striding over.

Kiku jumped, turning around. There was another blonde man accompanying Arthur, but his hair was darker and his eyes, behind glasses, were blue. "Hello, Arthur and…?"

"I'm Alfred, Arthur's cousin! He's got to have told you about me! He's told me all about you—"

"That's enough, you twit." Was it just Kiku or was Arthur blushing?

Kiku hid a smile. "It was nice to meet you, Alfred. Arthur, I imagine I will see you later."

He slipped around Arthur, past Alfred, and went to his lab bench. Gilbert was there, waiting. As per usual, there was a problem with the flies. Kiku smiled and went to work.

_Alfred watched Kiku walk away. He turned to Arthur grinning. "So that's him? You've got good taste sometimes, Iggy."_

"_It's not like that!" Arthur said too quickly, his face flushing. He turned to put his things down. "He's just a friend."_

"_So you wouldn't mind if I went after—"_

_Arthur shoved him up against the lab bench. "You so much as look at him and I'll do you in, understand?"_

"_Easy now, Iggy. No need to get so rough." Alfred shoved Arthur off. _

"_Shove off. Why are you even thinking about him like that? You've brought that administrator home four times now."_

"_Administrator? Oh, Ivan." Alfred shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. "I don't think it's serious."_

"_Since when are you looking for serious? You were always just looking for someone to shag." Arthur's brow furrowed. "Wait. This is about Matt. You think just because he's got something that looks like it'll last, you want something too?"_

_Alfred laughed. "Yeah. That's it. I've got to get to work. See you later."_

_Arthur sighed, running a hand through his hair. He looked down the lab benches and saw Kiku concentrating as he put together a titration set up. He was so focused on what he was doing, completely obvious to the world. Arthur smiled unconsciously._

By the end of the day, Kiku's arm was throbbing with pain. So, perhaps working wasn't the brightest idea he'd ever had. He was beginning to wonder if he should have just gone immediately to medical school. But, he'd wanted to get experience. He'd wanted to go into research.

He stepped outside, an ominous crack of thunder loudly ringing in his ears. He sighed and pulled up his hood. Hopefully the bus wasn't late tonight.

A car slowed down next to him. "Kiku, want a ride?"

Kiku looked up and then smiled. "Thank you, Arthur."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> Next chapter's where things get fun. I'm excited, anyways. I decided a little insight into Arthur's mind was needed. Sort of… it was sort of more of an excuse for me to look up British slang. I'm a child, I know.

Thank you to all who reviewed! It really means a lot to hear from you all. And, sometimes, I take your suggestions into consideration. :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters.

**AN: **Sorry about the delay! College life is busy. Additionally, this chapter is a lot longer than last chapter. It's 2400ish words, which surprisingly takes a while to write.

In other news, I went to see Rocky Horror last night, thus losing my Rocky Horror virginity. Other than not understanding what was going on, it was so much fun! Also gave me a few more plot ideas…no, no cross dressers unfortunately. College can occasionally be fun though, as I'm finding out. Halloween was great! I was a ram! And I went to chemistry review in full costume…which was awesome! I hope everyone else had fun on Halloween, or more than me. I couldn't do anything because of the mountain of homework that appears daily. Fall is really pretty, but I wish it would snow. I love snow. Okay, if you're still reading this, I am sorry. I have been inside writing this chapter and doing homework alone all day and it is lonely. Enjoy the chapter!

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><p>The week dragged by. By Wednesday's afternoon meeting, Kiku was exhausted and dreaming of Friday. He followed Feliciano into the nearly empty meeting room. Antonio was setting up the projector. Vash was in a corner, moodily writing in a notebook. Dr. Edelstein and Dr. Hedervary entered the room, already deep in conversation.<p>

Dr. Roma entered and sat down. "Elizaveta, I was looking for the paper and I couldn't find it."

"Oh, I must have forgotten it. I'll get it now." Dr. Hedervary got to her feet and dashed out of the room.

Feliciano turned to Kiku conspiratorially as Frances, Gilbert, and a few others entered. "You know, I think Dr. Hedervary and Dr. Edelstein are having an affair. They're both married, but they're always spending time together and they're always talking—"

"What are you talking about?" Gilbert slid into the seat next to Kiku while Frances took the seat on Feliciano's other side.

Feliciano blushed faintly. "Dr. Hedervary and Dr. Edelstein—"

"What about them?" Frances asked eagerly. "Were they making out in the eighteen degree room again?"

"They're…having an affair?" Feliciano was pale, but Gilbert and Frances burst into laughter.

"What? What is so funny?" Feliciano asked.

Gilbert finally managed to catch his breath. "Elizaveta and Roderich….are married! But to each other!"

Arthur walked over and nudged Gilbert with his notebook. "Move over. And what's so funny?"

"Why should I move over? You don't have to sit here," Gilbert grumbled, but he obediently moved into the other seat so Arthur could sit next to Kiku. "And we're laughing because Feli here thought Elizaveta and Roderich were cheating on their spouses, not realizing they were married to each other."

Arthur chuckled, giving Kiku a sideways glance. "People have strange relationships here."

Kiku too tongue tied to respond. Luckily, Dr. Hedervary reentered the room with the rest of the lab and the meeting started. Kiku lowered his eyes and wrote notes diligently. Once Antonio sat down, Dr. Roma got to his feet.

"For the rest of the week and next week, I will be out of town. So, refer all questions to Gilbert or Arthur."

There was then the big rush to get out of the room at the same time. Kiku stood up, Arthur right behind him.

"You doing anything tonight, love?"

Kiku glanced back at Arthur. "I…why?"

Arthur gave Kiku a small smile. "I was wondering if you'd come out with us tonight. You know, Frances, Gilbert, Ludwig, Feli."

"Thank you, but I cannot. I have to get my arm looked at." Kiku hid his disappointment. He would have liked to spend more time with Arthur. And everyone else, he mentally justified. Not just Arthur.

"Damn. Well, I hope everything's all right with you."

"It's just my arm," Kiku said, glancing up at Arthur.

"Yes, but that arm is attached to something very important, love."

Finally, the door opened up and they could leave the meeting room. Arthur was hailed over by Dr. Roma, leaving Kiku to figure out what Arthur meant.

Thursday dawned early. Kiku was rocketing around his small apartment, full of energy. He felt like he had a test later that day, like he was back at university. He didn't know what was going on inside his head that was making him feel like he'd drunk five cups of coffee in one sitting, so he just decided to ignore it.

He went to work early and immediately started his tasks for the day. He flipped flies, cleaned the dishes (the beakers, well plates, and stirring rods), and collected virgins. Even though it was Felicano's turn to take care of tips, Kiku put them into boxes then went to autoclave them. Arthur followed him into the room.

"You're not going near that machine, love."

Kiku deliberately picked up the gloves. "And who exactly is going to stop me?"

When Kiku looked up, Arthur was nearly face to face with him, pinning him against the counter. Arthur had a half smile. "I am."

Kiku's words caught in his throat. He stuttered, his face flushing. Arthur took advantage of the moment and pulled the gloves off Kiku's hands. "I'll handle this, love."

Kiku could only lean against the counter, heart hammering. Arthur finished, turning back around. "I'll get this when it's done—Kiku, are you feeling all right?"

Kiku nodded too quickly. "F-fine."

Arthur gave him a skeptical look. He stepped closer. "Are you sure? It's—"

Kiku shook his head. "I'm not a child, I don't need your help!"

He went to the fly kitchen, closing the door behind himself, breathing hard. What was going on? Why was he being so irrational? After a few more minutes of panicky, incoherent thoughts, Kiku started making fly food.

Gilbert opened the door an hour or so later. "Kiku, we're going to lunch, you coming?"

Kiku shook his head, intently concentrating on measuring exactly the right amount of yeast on the ancient balance.

"You all right? Arthur said—"

"Contrary to what Arthur thinks, I am not helpless." Kiku winced at his own tone.

Gilbert held up his hands. "Whoa, just saying, you've been a little weird today. If you need, you can take off. Nothing major's going on here."

"I am fine, thank you." Kiku picked up the yeast and carried it over to the cauldron.

Gilbert sighed. "If you say so."

He wasn't being fair to Arthur and he knew it. Arthur was just worried about him. Still, Kiku didn't want to be treated like a child and he didn't want to deal with how being around Arthur made him dizzy.

_Gilbert grabbed Arthur's arm and steered him away from Feliciano, Frances, Ludwig, Antonio, and Vash. Arthur gave Gilbert a confused look, but he didn't fight. Gilbert pulled Arthur to the stairs. _

"_I don't know what you did, but Kiku's pissed, so you better fix whatever you did."_

"_I didn't do anything!" Arthur said defensively. _

"_That is not a good answer." Gilbert sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Just go apologise to him, make it convincing. Turn on some of that British charm, I know you've got it somewhere."_

"_Bloody hell, shove off! I don't need a dog telling me how to act."_

"_Then stop acting like a child and fix whatever you messed up."_

"_I didn't—"_

"_Gil?" Matthew had paused a few stairs below their landing._

"_Hey Mattie. Come on. I'm done here." Gilbert gave Arthur a pointed look before walking over to take Matthew's hand a little timidly and led him to the cafeteria. Arthur leaned against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. _

Kiku went to lunch once he was sure all his coworkers were back. He slipped back into the lab unnoticed. Good. He picked up a slide box and his notebook, going to the fluorescent microscope room. He'd been meaning to take pictures for a few days now, so why not hide in there? It was dark, quiet, and, most importantly, a certain British person preferred to use the other microscope room.

He'd been working for an hour and had barely made a dent in the slides he had to photograph. It took forever for the picture to actually be taken by the computer, usually about three minutes, plus you wouldn't know if it was in focus or had the exact right placement until after the picture was taken, so it was an extremely time consuming process that left most people in a thoroughly bad mood. Kiku was no exception.

He jumped when the door opened and turned around to see who it was. Glowering, he forcefully turned back to his microscope and ended up shaking the microscope, essentially promising that the picture would be blurry.

Arthur put down his slide box and notebook, giving Kiku a fleeting glance lost in the darkness, then worked on turning on the other microscope. Kiku's picture was blurry. He deleted the picture and started the process again. They sat in silence for four pictures, by Kiku's count.

"Kiku—"

Kiku stood up quickly and went to the door. When he tried to open it, it didn't budge. He tried again.

Arthur cleared his throat. "Kiku, I—"

"The door is locked."

Kiku said it flatly, glaring at the doorknob. Arthur laughed and attempted to cover it up with a cough. "It sometimes sticks, love."

Kiku tried the door again. It still didn't move. Arthur got up and tried the door, but to no avail. Together, they tugged on the door, but it still wouldn't move. Kiku leaned against the door, defeated. He looked up at Arthur, their faces lit up by a bluish-white light from the computer.

Arthur shook his head. "I'm sorry about earlier, love. I didn't mean…I just…"

"Wanted to help me. I understand. I am s—"

Arthur pressed a finger to Kiku's lips. "It's my fault, don't apologise. I am sorry."

Kiku finally nodded. Their eyes met as Arthur's hand dropped to Kiku's shoulder. They both leaned forward when the door was shoved forward, throwing Kiku against Arthur.

Ludwig stepped in, blinking in confusion. "Sorry. Is everything okay?"

Kiku and Arthur separated hurriedly, nodding. Kiku quickly gathered up his things, saved the photographs. "You can use this microscope, Ludwig. I'm done."

"Thank you?" Ludwig seemed to be trying to work out what had been happening.

Running out of logical things to do, Kiku decided to completely reorganize the lab. This was a highly necessary task, but one that no one did. This was because the lab lived in a constant state of chaos and the simple organization of glassware might stop the lab's functioning. However, Kiku was a very neat and organized person and working in this level of disorder had been annoying him. Normally, it was fine. Then today happened and Kiku was getting bothered by the smallest things. He started with just putting away some stirring rods and then he had completely reorganized the drawer. So, he just kept at it, organizing all the rest of the drawers near that counter. He worked around the lab, finally coming out of his daze when he was in the cold room, putting away a newly labeled and properly sorted box of antibodies.

Gilbert walked in. "Kiku! It's almost eight. What are you still doing here?"

"What?" Kiku looked up surprise. "But…"

"Yeah, everyone left. I thought you had too." Gilbert put his DNA samples on a shelf.

"I lost track of time…what are you still doing here?"

"Had to finish up extracting this DNA. You really cleaned up this place. Looks like we won't have any excuses for using the wrong antibodies." Gilbert's smile faltered for a second, then passed. "You should come with me tonight."

"Where?"

"My brother and I are having a party. It'll be awesome! Come on! Live a little."

After a few minutes of Kiku trying to explain to Gilbert that he really shouldn't, Feliciano and Antonio looked in and asked if they were ready to go. With a sigh, Kiku gave in. Feliciano had an unfair advantage; he could give this unbelievably sad look that made just about everyone bend over backwards to help. So, Kiku ended up in the back of Antonio's car next to Feliciano and his twin brother, Lovino, who was a medical student. Feliciano was chatting happily with Antonio while Lovino cast the two of them disparaging looks.

When they pulled to the house, the party had already started and quite a few people looked drunk. Kiku followed Gilbert inside and just sort of stared. The house was bigger than it looked on the outside and impeccably neat, but there were people everywhere.

"Drinks and…not sure how to describe it over there. It's a candy party? Feli came up with it." Gilbert clasped Kiku's shoulder and then went over to Matthew who was chatting with Arthur's cousin, Alfred. Feliciano grabbed Kiku's arm, handed him a drink, and dragged him around the house, introducing him to everyone.

Kiku sipped at the drink. It was sickly sweet, but fairly good. Feliciano's chattering became a little less annoying after the second glass. It was past eleven when Feliciano found Ludwig and retreated into a corner, leaving Kiku alone on the couch. Antonio and Lovino walked through the room, Lovino looking very fed up about something while Antonio seemed a little sad.

Lovino grabbed Antonio's arm. "Don't pretend this is nothing! I know what it is, bastard!"

"It is nada, Lovi! You're being unreasonable. I care about you and only you." Antonio kissed Lovino's forehead. "And if you can't believe that, then maybe this isn't right."

"Get back here!" Lovino followed Antonio out of the room as Alfred came in and spotted Kiku.

"Didn't think you'd come here," Alfred said, sitting down next to Kiku, putting his arm across the back of the couch. "Arthur told me you're not a fan of parties."

"I am not."

Alfred grinned and leaned a little too close. "You're interesting, you know that? You don't like parties, but you're here, having a good time…could be a little better—"

"Alfred, get over here."

Kiku and Alfred looked up in surprise at a very tall man with silver hair. He looked foreboding and angry. Alfred immediately jumped to his feet. "I-Ivan, what are you—"

"Let's go." Ivan nodded once in acknowledgment to Kiku, then grabbed Alfred's hand and pulled him out of the room. Kiku shrugged, a little confused, but Alfred could handle himself. He didn't seem that drunk.

"_I was just talking to Kiku! Come on, ease up, Russki!" Alfred protested. Ivan gave Alfred a slightly disgusted look. "You were flirting with him."_

"_So? You haven't made any claims."_

_Ivan sighed and glanced away. "What do I have to do, Alfred? I can't keep chasing after you."_

"_W-what?" Alfred blushed, turning away. "Stop playing games, Ivan."_

_Arthur wisely slipped out of the room to let Alfred and Ivan sort it out. He went into the living room to where Kiku was sitting. He sat down next to him. _

"_Hello, Kiku. How are you?"_

"_Fine. You?" _

_Arthur gave Kiku a concerned look. Kiku was slurring. "Fine, love. How much have you had to drink?"_

"_Not a lot. It's more sugar than alcohol." _

_Arthur smiled a little. "Wrong, love. That's…skittle vodka. It's strong and sweet, so you don't realize just how strong it is."_

_Kiku leaned forward, holding his head. Arthur moved closer, ready to help him. "I'm feeling it now…"_

"_How about you go lie down?" Arthur helped Kiku to his feet. "You can sleep this off."_

_Kiku nodded weakly, still holding his head. "Thanks, Arthur."_

"_It's not a problem, love." _

_Kiku looked up at Arthur. "Why do you say 'love?' You're always calling me that. It's a British thing, I thought, but you never call anyone else that."_

_Arthur put his hands in his pockets, blushing a little. "It's…just a sign of affection, love. Don't read too much into it."_

"_You used it again. What aren't you telling me?"_

"_It's…it's a you thing. I only call you 'love.'"_

_Kiku leaned in closer. "And why's that?"_

_Arthur glanced down, then back into Kiku's eyes. "Because, you're you, Kiku. And I...like you."_

"_I like you too." Kiku said it without thinking. _

"_W-what?" Arthur couldn't believe it._

"_I like you too." _

_Then, Kiku leaned up and kissed Arthur gently, wrapping his arms around his neck. Arthur's hands immediately went to Kiku's waist. _

_The first kiss was gentle. The second kiss was more passionate. _

"_Kiku, Kiku, wait," Arthur murmured, trying to get Kiku to stop distracting him. "You're drunk. We really shouldn't do anything."_

"_I'm not drunk," Kiku retorted, but he unsteadily sort of collapsed against Arthur._

"_Shh, love. Let's get to bed, all right?" Arthur easily scooped Kiku up into his arms and carried him upstairs._

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> Sadly, my coworkers did actually throw a candy party and did make Skittle vodka. They also made alcoholic gummy bears and gummy worms and other sugar-y alcoholic things. The problem is that because it's sweet, the drinker does not often realize how much alcohol is in the drink. It's very easy to get very drunk very quickly on Skittle vodka, hence why Kiku was drunk after two and half. Plus, I figure he really wouldn't have that high of a tolerance. Also, the lab I worked in did exist in a constant state of chaos. It was very, very disorganized and the act of putting something back where it belonged could severely upset the balance of the university. Finally, there was a married couple very similar to Elizaveta and Roderich in my lab...they each had their own people and different last names, so two of my coworkers didn't realize the two of them were married and thought they were having an affair!

Next chapter I will try to get up soon, but I've got a prelim this week, then one right after Thanksgiving break and then finals. But I'll try! Thank you all for reading and reviewing!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters.

**AN:** Sorry about the delay! I've been very busy. Like it feels like only a week has passed, but then I look back and realize it was month. Not really much to say this chapter, just that I am sorry about the delay and it is dedicated to one **Morning Chrysanthemum**, because she always writes very long, touching reviews and her review actually reminded me about this chapter. Of course, all of you reviewers are wonderful and I love all of you dearly. Thank you all so much.

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><p>Kiku woke up confused. He couldn't remember everything that had happened last night. He wasn't sure how he had arrived in this bed. He did remember being at work late, Gil had walked in and invited him to a party, but after that, it was all a blur. He sat up and was very surprised to be tugged back down. Apparently, he was very unobservant when he was this hung over.<p>

Kiku glanced over to see who was holding onto him and nearly had a heart attack. Arthur was still fast asleep, muttering, "No. Stay."

Mentally, Kiku started freaking out, which was quite an accomplishment when he felt like he had spent the better half of the night hanging upside down in a meat locker with a persistent and never ceasing hammering. What had happened? Why were they in bed together? Well, that was actually a simple question. He was at Gil's house so there probably were not a ton of beds. So, sharing made sense. Arthur's arm around his waist did not.

Kiku didn't move, more in shock than anything else. Though, it did feel nice being held by Arthur…no. He was not going to think about that. He was not going to go down that path again. Arthur was just a friend, a very good friend, and that was all they would ever be. Friends.

Kiku glanced at his watch. Almost seven. It was Friday, so there was work in a few hours. He should get up and leave, but he couldn't bring himself to move just yet. He wanted to stay right there. It felt safe.

Just as he thought that, Arthur woke up. Kiku couldn't help but notice how utterly perfect Arthur looked, features heavy with sleep, hair mussed up. Arthur smiled once his eyes focused in on Kiku. "Morning love."

"M-morning." Kiku was very taken aback with the tenderness there.

Arthur seemed to pick up on that. He brushed a few strands of hair out of Kiku's eyes. "How do you feel?"

"Ano…fine. Hung over. Everything is sort of a blur."

He laughed. "You were drinking a lot last night…" Arthur's brow furrowed, processing the words a little slower than normal. "Wait, how much do you remember of last night?"

Kiku shrugged. "Not a lot. Why? Did something happen?"

Arthur's face fell, but he struggled to hide. "No. Come on. We should get going."

It was then that Kiku knew something had happened. What had he done? What had Arthur been counting on Kiku remembering? They walked carefully through the mess that was Gilbert and Ludwig's house. They didn't talk until they got out of the house.

"Do you want a ride home?"

Kiku shook his head. "I am not that far away from here. I can walk."

Arthur studied Kiku's face then leaned in close, but he held himself back. He hugged Kiku instead. "Be careful, love. I'll see you in a few hours."

Kiku grabbed Arthur's arm as he turned away. "Arthur, what happened last night?"

Arthur looked at Kiku, then away. "Nothing. It's nothing."

"It is obviously something. What happened? I am sorry for anything I might have said. I do not drink often, I am sorry."

"No. It's not like I want you to be sorry for what you said." Arthur sighed. "I want what you said to be true today, but I guess it's not."

"What did I say? Arthur, please, just tell me."

Arthur's phone chose just that moment to start ringing. Arthur hesitated before picking it up, green eyes locked on Kiku's face. "Hello? …what? I'll be right in." He hung up, eyes still fixed on Kiku. "The incubators failed this morning. I need to go in."

"I will see you later." Kiku nodded and broke off eye contact. "Bye."

"Bye love."

_Arthur got into his car, watching Kiku walk down the road. He was handling his hang over pretty well, not even stumbling. It was once Kiku had turned the corner that Arthur started driving to the lab. _

_At a red light, he let his head drop onto the steering wheel. Kiku didn't remember. Last night, he and Kiku had admitted their feelings and kissed. Kiku didn't remember that. Arthur had dared to get his hopes up and now he felt horribly crushed. He had thought things would be different, but Kiku had just been drunk. There was the saying that in wine, there was truth, but Arthur felt too crushed to hope. _

_There was a honk behind him and Arthur drove again. He didn't want to be hurt again. But, he couldn't give up on Kiku without knowing that there definitely was no chance, as pathetic as that sounded. _

_He parked and got out, looking up at the imposing building. It was time to forget about last night and get to work. _

After some water, a shower, and a cup of coffee, Kiku was feeling a little better. He still had a headache, but it was manageable. He had to get to work. He was the first one there. He looked around, trying to figure out what to do. Arthur walked in with Gilbert who still looked a little hung over. They walked over to Kiku.

"All right, so the incubators are broken. The flies that were in the 18 degree one are in the 18 degree room. Most everything else has been moved to the empty section of desks here," Arthur recited at top speed. "The incubators should be fixed next week, hopefully before Doctor Roma comes back. We need…I don't know what we need."

Gilbert patted Arthur's shoulder. Arthur looked a little bit like a zombie. "Kiku, we need you to make some more food. We're going to have to flip these flies earlier than expected."

"Understood. I will get to it."

_Gilbert watched Arthur give Kiku's back a doleful look. "Arthur, what happened last night?"_

"_I don't know what you're—"_

"_I saw the two of you go up to my room and now you keep giving him these looks…did something happen?"_

_Arthur glanced away. "Nothing—"_

"_Don't lie to me, limey."_

"_Shut up you dog. What happened was nothing."_

_Gilbert shook his head. "You're so stupid sometimes…Go take a break. You look like hell."_

Kiku was watching the food cook, waiting for it to boil. It was very close to that. He couldn't miss this point or else the food would be ruined. The door opened. Kiku didn't look up. "It is almost boiling. Food will be finished soon."

"I didn't come here to talk about the food. Kiku…" With gentle hands on his hips, Arthur turned Kiku around so they were face to face.

"Arthur?"

"Last night…you told me liked me."

"W-well, of course I do. We are friends, A-arthur." Kiku pushed Arthur away, stepping around him to nervously put plastic bottles into boxes. His heart was beating much too fast.

"Not 'like' for friends. 'Like' with more meaning. Like, why I always call you 'love.' Is it coming back now?" Arthur stilled Kiku's hands.

It was starting to come back, in pieces. He did remember sitting on the couch, talking to Alfred, then Arthur had appeared. Arthur had gotten him and upstairs. Kiku had asked why Arthur always called him 'love.' Arthur had explained. Kiku had spoke. And then…oh god. They had kissed.

"Got there?" It must have been obviously written on Kiku's face. "What I said last night was the truth, Kiku."

"That is…very forward, Arthur." Kiku pulled his hands free and turned away from Arthur, trying to keep his panicking under control. He could deal with this. It was just not easy. He was not ready to deal with this. He could not. "I was drunk last night."

"But, there was truth in what you said, wasn't there? I've seen the looks you give me. Kiku…look at me."

Kiku pulled away from Arthur again, going to check the fly food. "This needs to boil. You should get back to work."

Arthur sighed and Kiku turned around as he went to the door. Arthur looked back at him. They stared at each other for one, two, three heartbeats. Then, they had bridged the distance between each other. Kiku didn't know who initiated the kiss, only that he didn't want it to stop.

They broke apart when they heard footsteps approaching. Kiku was still breathless, leaning against the wall. When had he gotten there? Arthur looked to be in the same state, running a hand through his hair. Gilbert opened the door and looked between them.

"Everything all right?"

Kiku answered quickly. "Yes. Arthur just had a question. He was leaving."

Arthur gave Kiku a confused, slightly hurt look before turning to Gilbert. "Yeah. What's going on?"

"I was just wondering where you moved the cultures." Gilbert was trying to read what was going on in Arthur's face, but he couldn't see it. He looked to Kiku, but Kiku was busy turning the cauldron off and stirring.

"Come on. I'll show you."

_Arthur was silent as he led Gilbert into the 18 degree room. Kiku had reciprocated that kiss, hadn't he? He hadn't forced it on him, had he? Why had Kiku sent him away?_

"_Arthur, what just happened? Things were tense in there."_

_Arthur handed Gilbert the stack of cultures. "Nothing."_

"_You know, the more you say it, doesn't mean I'll believe you. Doesn't make it true either." _

Kiku went through the motions of making fly food, still unable to understand what had happened. He liked Arthur as more than a friend, he couldn't deny that to himself now. He had kissed him! What was Kiku supposed to do?

Kiku was not good at relationships. He hadn't been in many. He didn't even know how to handle friendship half the time. How was he supposed to 'handle' this? They worked together, sort of. It was inappropriate. But, that didn't stop Kiku from wanting it.

He covered the last box of vials with cheesecloth and started cleaning up the kitchen. Had he messed up everything?

"_Staring at the door isn't going to make him come out." _

_Arthur started at Gilbert's words. "Just…shove off, Gil."_

"_I'm your friend, Arthur. I'm doing this for your own good. Go talk to him."_

"_It's fine, you prat. There's nothing to talk about."_

_Gilbert shook his head. "You're making a mistake."_

"_No, I'm not." Arthur turned away purposefully and walked away. _

Around six, Kiku was finally able to leave. Well, actually, Gilbert told him to get out of there. He got into the empty elevator and the doors had almost closed before Arthur slid through. Kiku looked up at him, a little confused.

"What floor?"

Arthur turned to him and then put his hands on his shoulders. "Are you angry at me?"

"N-No. Why would you ask that?" Kiku couldn't look anywhere but Arthur's eyes.

"Then what the bloody hell happened earlier? Explain that."

"We…we were done talking."

"Done? We hadn't even said anything, Kiku!"

Kiku felt himself getting angry and he didn't quite know why. "We had said all that was necessary! Why are you so obsessed with this?"

"I'm not obsessed with 'this,' I'm obsessed with you."

Kiku shook his head, disbelief etched on his features. Why had the elevator chosen today to stall and move twice as slow as normal? Why did the lab have to be near the top of the building? "You do not know what you are saying. Do not lead me on."

"I'm not leading you on. Kiku, I told you the truth—"

"Enough! I do not want to hear this."

"You need to hear this!" Arthur tightened his grip on Kiku's shoulders. "I can't keep doing this…Kiku…"

"Who are you to tell me what I need to hear? I can make my own decisions!"

"I'm not doubting that, but you need to hear me out—"

"No, I don't—"

"Why won't you—"

"Why are you being so diff—"

And for the second time that day (not counting the previous night), they were kissing. It was very short lived though, because the elevator stopped on the ground floor. Kiku pulled away from Arthur, face bright red as he stepped through the doors as soon as they opened. Arthur stayed on the elevator, staring after Kiku. Kiku had a weekend to stop and think about everything.

He knew this: he was never going to get drunk again. It caused too many problems.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>The incubator did actually break one of the summers I was there for work…the lab basically went crazy.

So, yeah…take this chapter as you will. :) Hope you all enjoyed it!


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